American Original: Bellport, Long Island

To author and historian Victor Principe, Bellport is a hidden treasure, rich in the most precious attributes a town can possess. “It has a wonderful feeling of being tucked away somewhere near the water,” says Principe of the quaint Long Island village he moved to with his partner in 1981. “It has such a sense of place. When you’re here, you know you’re in Bellport and nowhere else.” Though decidedly upscale (residents include Isabella Rosselini and Princess Alexandra of Greece), Bellport’s appeal lies in its sleepy seaside timelessness. “Through the years, people have been protective of the town’s historic character,” says Principe. “A lot of once-charming places on Long Island were ruined by careless planning, but here people care about preservation. We have six his- toric districts, with lots of Greek revival houses from the 1820s and charming summer bungalows from the 1920s. The village looks more or less as it did a hundred years ago and is beautiful year ’round.” PAST PERFECT “The Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society is a very important organization here. They have a campus with a house, a museum, and a building on Bell Street where they host lectures, films, and a lot of fascinating authors.” 31 Bellport Ln., 631.286.0888 “I love to walk from the village’s charming downtown to gorgeous Bellport Lane that sweeps down to the marina’s dock overlooking the Great South Bay. It makes you happy; it’s truly uplifting.” BEACH, BABY “Bellport’s spectacular beach on Fire Island is reached by village ferry, the Whalehouse Point. The beach is called ‘Ho Hum’ because nothing ever happens there, and that’s good! Just east of Ho Hum there was once an inlet to the ocean that nature closed in the 1830s. Then a snooty beach club, now long gone, stood there. Hurricane Sandy re-opened the old inlet, cleaning out the bay while stocking it with marine species not seen in the bay for over 150 years.” Ferry operates May– September. 631.286.6093. PLAY TIME “I discovered Bellport in 1968, when I came out to do summer stock at the Gateway Playhouse. At the time, Geraldine Page was doing The Little Foxes and I was working on the sets. I went to see her every night. The Gateway is still here and it still offers wonderful productions.” 215 S. Country Rd., 631.286.1133 IN GOOD TASTE “If you like pancakes, Peter’s on the Green at the Country Club makes wonderful ones on the weekends. The club is open to the public. In the summer, you can sit outside near the putting green and admire the course stretching out toward the bay in the distance.” 40 S. Country Rd., 631.803.8440 “Another wonderful place for dinner is The Bellport Restaurant. Chef Taylor Alonso trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and he’s very inventive. I love the way he does fish. I’ve had a pecorino-crust swordfish that was out of this world.” 159 S. Country Rd., 631.286.7550 TOP SHOPS “Designer Thomas O’Brien, owner of Aero in Manhattan, recently opened Copper Beech(3), a fantastic store that sells home goods and gift items. He did a gorgeous job on the building, which everyone remembers as a beloved grocery store and, many years ago, a theater.” 133 S. Country Rd., 631.286.0202 —By Kathy Passero Find your home in Long Island.